A Peacock's Feather
by Yuka Hara
Summary: She was a girl with complete sass. She stuck up for her friends and protected her loved ones, just like a hero from a comic. She has a secret that will be slowly unwrapped after a misunderstanding. Who she is and who she act like isn't the real her. Who is Tomoka?
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Peacock's Feather  
Genre: Romance, Drama  
Pairings: Tomoka-centric!  
Summary: She was a girl with complete sass. She stuck up for her friends and protected her loved ones, just like a hero from a comic. She has a secret that will be slowly unwrapped after a misunderstanding. Who she is and who she act like isn't the real her. Who is Tomoka?

**Notice: Hello there fellow readers!**

**I haven't updated, or been on for a few months. I just been so busy with school and everything that has come up in my life. For my other stories, I'm trying on them but I can't come to update unless I have some spare time. During one of my days, I thought up of this idea for a story. It may not be any good, but for those who actually checked this out, Thank you very much. Please enjoy-  
There haven't been much Tomoka-starring fan fictions at all around anywhere! It's mostly Sakuno actually. I don't hate Sakuno or anything, she's actually a really nice character, but so is Tomoka. Even if she doesn't appear as much as Sakuno, I believe she should have a story of her own.  
That's why I'm writing this story, either way, please enjoy this story and try to give it a chance.  
Tomoka means "Brilliant Friend" Which she truly is!  
**

**It's a entirely different type of atmosphere I'm trying to write. A.K.A: Dramatica So please bear with me if she becomes out of genre. Again, enjoy and thank you for giving this story a chance by clicking onto Chapter one!**

**~Yuka Hara**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and the names for Tomoka's family and ocs'. **

* * *

Out of no where, there was only one color, black. It showed like an endless abyss. Nothing can be found there. A girl wandered around, her arms wrapped around herself, she ran and ran. No matter where she was going to go, she didn't want to stay there. No sound was heard, just like the inside of an empty box. Holding out her hands, she waved them around. The girl stopped in the middle of her tracks and opened her mouth to speak. She took in a deep breath and let out everything. All her fear and frustration. But nothing came out. She slumped towards the ground, not caring how her head had crashed onto the dark floor. She just wanted to leave...

The sun was out, spreading it's warm rays down to the people on Earth. While some places were cool from not being so close to the equator, the was a different story when being on an island.

In Japan, the crickets chirped along with the bustling voices of people walking off to go to school. The subways and trains hollered out the stops and zoomed past others waiting for their ride. Their wheels clanging onto the metal rails loudly. Cotton like clouds floated softly in one direction up in the sky. A bird or two could be seen flying past high in the air if you were to squint your eyes up.

Students attending classes wore their uniforms with short sleeves; showing that it was summer.

Sports were most popular during this season; more specifically tennis. Here in Tokyo, two schools were known mostly in their tennis circuit, Seishun Gakuen and Hyotei Academy. The two schools weren't in the same area but were both known for their boy's tennis team, more so their captains. Both played hard with strong wills. But seasons changed a few times already and these captains had already graduated from their junior high school. They moved onto their senior High School that was still in the same school, but was not in the club.

The regulars from the old teams grew stronger and those who became third years had become buchou and fukubucho. They trained harshly to grasp the Kantou Tournament and reaching the Nationals as before. Though the team didn't function as amazing as before as most of the regulars were third years which left a huge gap in the team. But they didn't give up.

A girl with a beauty mark under her right eye blinked as she kicked her feet under her desk. She wore a normal Seishun Gakuen uniform, her ribbon tied neatly on top of her chest. The colors of white, light green and pink made her stick out like a sore thumb, but so did every other single girl in the entire school. Her light hazel eyes sparkled when she looked out the window to see the buchou of the tennis team. She waved towards the new buchou, Momoshiro-bucho, but she still called him 'Momo-chan-senpai' as she was not in the tennis team. As she turned her head, her two pig-tails slapped against her cheeks softly, barely making a small brush.

The door in front slid open and she instantly stood up, hands banging onto her desk. Others looked to see the commotion but she kept her stare at the other girl by the door. "Sakuno!" She said before racing to her best friend who was fidgeting the hem of her skirt, a light blush covering her cheeks.

"T-Tomo-chan..."

Osakada, Tomoka laughed loudly at her friends. Students looked to see the loud girl, ignoring her laughs, but no one could not notice the happiness she worn on her face. "Sorry, Sakuno." She said, giving a bright smile, "You were late today, I thought you were sick or something! Are you alright?!" Tomoka asked before looking at Sakuno in a 360 degrees inspection. The shy girl shook her head and her blush seemed to deepen. Her fingers fiddling with each other out of habit. "Ah! Something happened didn't it?!" Being close friends with Sakuno, Tomoka always knew what was wrong. Her eyes narrowed and a smile fell on her expression, "Come on! Tell me Sakuno!"

Sakuno only nodded shyly before opening her mouth, "A-Ah...C-Can we talk outside?" She asked.

Tomoka wore a quizzial look but agreed anyway.

The hallways were filled with students of all years. The dark letters of the room numbers hung above each doors. The windows out in front were wide and clear, giving anyone a nice view of people below and the everything in front and up. Tomoka and Sakuno stood next to an opened window, feeling the breeze brush past the two girls.

"Sakuno, spill!" Tomoka said, her hands clutched together as she bit down on her lips in excitement, her eyes shown brighter as she felt like her curiousness was coming over her.

Sakuno looked slightly afraid as she swallowed her saliva. A minute passed in silence and Tomoka was still on the edge of her seat. She watched her friend close her eyes tightly before speaking, "I...I saw Ryoma-kun..." She said, her voice stuttering in panic. As she opened her eyes she saw Tomoka completely shocked. Her mouth gawked open with her eyes widening to such an extent. She let out a sigh, knowing what was to come.

"WHAT?!" Tomoka screeched throughout the hallway. Her voice seemed to echo past every inch of the whole school, silence was only heard and then it became the total rambling of the girl. "WHERE DID YOU SEE HIM!? I CAN"T BELIEVE RYOMA-SAMA IS BACK!" She shouted, her hands waving around in a frantic performance. Sakuno sweat-dropped but was only relieved that Tomoka didn't get a heart attack and wasn't shaking her.

"TELL ME EVERYTHING!" That was the last words Sakuno heard before she brought out a large bottle of water.

* * *

At lunch break that day, the same two girls walked over towards the tennis courts. Their bentos neatly wrapped in cloth and was held in their hands. Tomoka had one that was sleek black, with a traditional flower on the side as decoration. Sakuno on the other hand had a light pink one, with a white bunny in the front. It was a bit chilidish, but both girls thought it was cute.

"G-Good Afternoon, Momo-buchou!" Sakuno squeaked out as she caught sight of the captain and bowed formally.

Momoshiro, Takeshi waltzed over. He wasn't in his jersey, since it wasn't practice and he was just supervising the non-regulars and regulars whom wanted to practice more to improve their skills. He laughed at the embarrassed girl and winked, "It's alright Sakuno-chan. Just call me Momo-chan-senpai like always."

"B-But..." Sakuno stuttered out.

Tomoka heaved a sigh, knowing exactly what the girl was thinking. Just at the start of the new school year, Momo had shouted loudly all over the school exclaiming that if tennis members didn't call him 'buchou', he would crush them with his slam dunk. Somewhere along the line, rumors and gossiping spread and it ended up saying that if no one called Momo buchou, then he would beat them up.

"E-Eto...Sakuno-chan..." Momo said nervously, not knowing what to say anymore when he saw the girl wearing a terrified expression.

"Y-You're going to beat me up." Sakuno said as she tumbled behind Tomoka.

"Ah...Tomoka-chan, can you tell Sakuno-chan that it's just a rumor?" Momo asked, a pleading expression fell on his face.

Before Tomoka could say a word, a ball whized past Momo. "Chisu." A voice spoke in a cocky tone. The three turned, gawking at what or exactly, who was in front of them.

"RYOMA-SAMA!?/R-Ryoma-kun!/ Echizen!"

Echizen, Ryoma stood in front of them before he tipped his hat and walked in front of Tomoka. "Yo Osakada. Ryuzaki." He greeted towards the two girls.

Sakuno had already came out from behind Tomoka and now was trying come up with the courage to say something. Her blush was now completely evident on her face and everyone can clearly see that she had a crush on the girl. "R-Ryoma-kun...A-Are you attending-" Her words were cut short and she watched as Ryoma completely seemed to ignore her words as Momo shouted at the boy in furious way.

"Echizen! You're back! Why did you attack me with a tennis ball!? I could've been killed!" He said loudly.

Ryoma barely only raise a brow, "I don't think so, Momo-chan-senpai has such a thick skull." He said in a cocky tone, that trailed off as he wore a casual smirk. Momo only grinned and laughed, locking his arm around Ryoma's neck.

"You never change Echizen!"

That day, Ryoma had returned from America. Tomoka was overjoyed that her admirer had finally returned and was surprised that he only left for a month or two. She wondered why he came back so early, wasn't he going to be in tennis tournaments? She let the thought slide and laughed along.

News about Ryoma being a transfer student at Seigaku raised many questions among students. They were all extremly excited to see the Prince of tennis again. He had a few fans who were squealing just by the thought of seeing the arrogant boy again. The teachers on the other hand weren't that happy. They experienced the rude and bluntness of the boy and weren't keen on the idea of going through it.

But they couldn't go against the principle and were sighing with a feint smile that the principle was happy.

"What are you doing?" Tomoka asked before being hushed by a boy with a uni brow. Horio looked at the girl with a confused expression.

"Echizen is back, you aren't going to talk to him." He watched as the girl's eyes widened and race past him, not even glancing back. He sighed, thinking he shouldn't have said anything.

"RYOMA-SAMA!" A voice screamed, "GET AWAY FROM HIM! I'm his number one fan!"

* * *

After school, all the second years went to the tennis courts. Kachiro and Katsuo along with Horio chatted to an obnoxious Ryoma in glee. All three didn't care about his cockiness, even if they did act like it.

Tomoka and Sakuno talked to each other, laughing softly at the boys who were bickering among themselves.

"INUI-SENPAI!" Two voices choursed through out the courts. The six second years stopped in their tracks as they saw the tennis buchou and fukubucho scream in fright of a liquid drink held by the one and only Inui, Sadaharu. He wore casual wear along with the other old regulars, but the only thing that caught everyone eyes was the bubbling drink of AOZU.

"Get that away Inui-senpai!" Momo shouted, trying to back away from him. "We don't need that drink! Our regime is fine!" he shouted.

The glasses on Inui's face gleamed before he pushed it up with a finger and smiled. "Are you sure Momo? 30% says you are fine with the team, 60% that your team is stong enough as we were last year but 100% that you're going easy on them and Aozu will fix everything."

"Fshh...Hello Tezuka-buchou." Kaidoh spoke politely to his senpais, ignoring Momo's plea.

"Saa...Inui, shouldn't you leave that drink somewhere else? On the other hand, why don't you try it?" Fuji asked with a wide smile as he looked up at Tezuka, urging the former captain to go along with his plan.

"Senpai-tachi." Ryoma greeted, earning complete silence. "Yo." He said.

Everyone went and greeted the prince, they were all happy he was back. The bickering stopped but then Inui went to offer Ryoma some Aozu which he declined completely.

"OISHI!" Eiji said with a grin, "Ochibi is back! He finally is!"

The voices of all the regulars emitted through the whole tennis courts like an endless rainbow. It brought a warm feeling through the loud girl's heart. Her eyes gazed at her friend, who was fidgeting at whether to talk to Ryoma who was listening to Eiji and Momo booming questions about events that passed through their life as a high schooler and going to America. Tomoka softened her expression and only gave a small tap on the shoulders at Sakuno's shoulders. A smile revealed on her face as her eyes brightened; soft hands grabbed onto Sakuno's and the two girls looked at each other. Both seemed to send each other a type of telepathic conversation.

Tomoka only turned her head to the tennis prodigy and dragged along her flustered friend. She wasn't going to take 'no' as an answer. "Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka greeted quite loudly, her cheeks flushed with slight redness and her eyes never left the figure of the boy. "How was America?" She inquired quickly before pushing Sakuno slightly in front of her, "Sakuno finally got to be a regular on the girl's team!" She said loudly.

Ryoma tipped his cap down and the other regulars came to congratulate the girl, excluding Kaidoh and Momo who have known this already. "Ryuzaki..." He spoke bluntly, "Congratulations.."

Sakuno's eyes widened slightly at first before her whole shocked expression was covered up with a warm smile. "Un!" She said, before thanking everyone else on the news. "Eto, Tomo-chan...?" The girl asked, looking for her friend who would have already tried to talk to Ryoma or argue with Horio. "Tomo-chan...?" She called out again before realizing that she wasn't there anymore.

Fuji looked around in a perplexed expression along with the others, "Saa...Where could have Osakada-chan have gone to?"

"Nya! I thought she would be stuck to Ochibi like glue already!" Eiji said with a pout, crossing his own arms before looking around. "I'll go search for her!" And then he started to run out of the court; Fuji trailing behind him, talking about how interesting it would be. Inui stood on the side, writing down some things in his notebook and muttering that things were not what he calculated as.

"E-Eiji!" Oishi shouted, commenting on the rude comment his partner had spoken about the girl from before. He followed suit, not wanting anyone to get in trouble.

"Senpai-tachi is loud as always..." Ryoma spoke as he stood next to Sakuno. He gazed at the girl slightly, something flickering in his eyes before he turned away and said a small goodbye to the girl.

"B-Bye R-Ryoma-kun!"

* * *

The cherry blossoms came again, as the season of spring spread through Seishun Gakuen. The third years cheered on how they were going to graduate soon but were also sad that it was their last year. Many decided to do what they were going to do after all. The tennis team weren't as strong as they were two years ago or even one year ago, but that didn't mean they try their hardest.

The three ichinen- Horio, Kachiro and Katsuo all got into regular places as their third year of Seishun. Ryoma became the captain, his decisions may be rash but Momo and Kaidoh thought he was the only one who could help and bring everyone to higher places. He was still the Pillar of Support after all.

Sakuno wasn't that shy and weak as before. She gained new found confidence when she became the fuku-buchou for the girl's team and also a manager of the boy's tennis team. She learned to multitask and adapt to glares that were sent from girls that were fans of Ryoma.

Tomoka could only watch back at her friend; she couldn't feel any prouder. It took her many begging and meetings with the principle to make the tennis team allow a female manager. It wasn't something he would allow freely, but when he saw the dedication Tomoka was giving to have this opportunity. Well, of course she wasn't going to be the manager, she offered this to Sakuno who was completely shocked by the fact that the school started accepting managers. She said nothing, her best friend didn't need to worry about the facts herself.

It was at lunch when Tomoka realized how she was completely alone. Unlike the years before, she didn't go to the tennis team as much. It was an outrageous thing; just a few months ago, she was still there, barging through the gates and shouting at Horio and the rest. But now she barely even stepped near there. She would sometimes pass through the courts, but rather than that, she didn't spend any time there.

Sakuno had her hands full after being accepted as manager. The two young girls were still very close friends, but they were both going separate ways. Tomoka smiled to herself as she stared up at the clouds. How they were all so carefree.

"Saa, Osakada-chan. This is where you're staying now?" A smooth voice questioned out of the blue.

The pig-tailed girl jolted out from her spot, slowly turning her head and giving the person a nervous smile. "Of course not!" Tomoka said in a haughty tone, mustering a large, fake smile. "I'm just resting here a little..." She spoke, her voice betraying her.

"That isn't very healthy for you." Fuji spoke, his eyebrows furrowed as he crossed his arms. A gentle smile fell onto his face as he held out a hand. "Why don't we go together after school? If you're not that busy that is." He spoke politely, the way a prince would have. But princes weren't real and were only there in the fantasy of fairy tales. Tomoka shook her head lightly to the side as she stared down at the ground. She did a ninety-degree bow.

"Gomenasai, Fuji-senpai! But i have to take care of my co- brothers! My little brothers." She spoke nodding her head furiously up and down before scurrying away frantically. Fuji seemed confused at the girls action; he would have sworn that she would always make everything a big deal, mostly if he asked her on a kind of date. He shook his head before chucking to himself of the girl's frantic expression. He then left towards the tennis gates.

Tomoka ran into the girl's restroom and sighed as she planted herself on the ground. She felt so nonathletic for getting tired after a short run but that wasn't the matter. She rinsed her face with some cold water and stared at her reflection in the mirror. "Baka..." She muttered to herself, squinting her eyes shut. She heard the clamor of voices come into the room and she saw a few girls of her grade. They had fake extended and glitter embedded nails, their eyes wore fake eyelashes, while some others had used mascara instead. The waft of thick perfume smell enveloped the room. Tomoka coughed, the smell running into her noes. She used all her strength to act polite towards the girls and not just run out of the door, knocking them down in process, and not giving a care in the world.

"Ah, Osakada-san," Girl 1 spoke, the other girls followed her behind as she rushed towards Tomoka, holding out a bag. "I got these cheer leader outfits for the big match for Ryoma-sama."

Tomoka bit her tounge down and closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. "WHAT?!" She asked loudly, "I can't believe you already got them!" She hugged the girl and jumped up and down. "We're going to go and cheer on the tennis club." She spoke, "For Ryoma-sama!" She said happily, the huge grin never leaving her expression.

The girls walked out of the restroom, waving their hands to each other and departing ways. As Tomoka walked, her eyes widened when she saw a group of girls walking calmly through the halls. Some people gathered around, awing as if the people in front were angels. Tomoka frowned slightly when she saw the figure of her friend staggering behind the girls. She looked at all their figures, clothes worn neatly, with tennis bags around their shoulders. The white, bold letters of SEISHUN GAKUEN was embedded on it. Along with their initial names.

"Come on Sakuno." A sweet voice spoke up. The figure threw their arms around the timid girl before linking arms with her. "We're going to class. Don't you think it's amazing how we've become classmates? Even Echizen-san is there." The girl wiggled her eyebrows in a silly way, making Sakuno laugh. "Come on everyone, we need to hurry with class. Out of my way!"

"Hai Buchou." A few voices coursed.

The voices lowered as the female teacher came into the room, pushing up her spectacles. Class started and everyone got to work. Tomoka couldn't help, but feel slightly alone in the class. It wasn't like she had no other friends, but they weren't close to her. They rarely talked to her despite them acting friendly. It was strange how Tomoka used to be in the same class as Sakuno. Just last year they were in different classes, but their friendship didn't change much. Now on the other hand, it was a completely different aspect. Neither female friends spoke to each other much then a few words for the whole week. Their schedules never matched up, and they were in different worlds when it came to school.

Sakuno who was a regular of the girl's tennis team hanged out with them more. It was expected actually, but Tomoka didn't think she would feel this terrible. She missed her clumsy friend and how she gave out witty remarks to give the shy girl some confidence. She wanted to greet the girl in the morning or walk together to school like they always had; like best friends. Instead, Sakuno had to wake up early to go to tennis practice, and they never met up in the morning. Tomoka would have been already in class when Sakuno finally came dashing from the stairway and to her own separate class.

Tomoka didn't really get along with the other members of the girl's tennis team. They thought of as a comrade, kind of a friend but they spoke of her like she was some sort of a love rival. "What do you want with Sakuno? Trying to steal her beauty?" A voice seethed out.

Tomoka wore a flabbergasted expression before shouting, "What are you talking about?!" She almost screeched out. "I wouldn't do such a thing ever! Especially towards Sakuno!"

"Hey Calm down!" A taller girl spoke, her expression hardened. "We were just joking. There's nothing about this conversation that is going to go anywhere."

Sakuno had came around the corner and smiled, "Tomo-chan!" She greeted and quickly hugged the girl. "I-I have tennis practice again, so we can't hang out until the weekend." She spoke softly, "But only for a few hours since the team have to go celebrate for our win at the practice matches." She explained. Her hair was tied in a braid like always. The girl looked the same physically except for being taller but that didn't matter; her aura changed completely.

Tomoka shook her head, "It's alright. I'll meet you up at your house on Saturday morning." She spoke before writing the time on a piece of paper and handing one to Sakuno. "Ja na, Sakuno." She ran out the opposite way, ignoring the laughter behind her. Just hanging out with her best friend, even if it was for a few hours was fine with her.

* * *

When Saturday came Tomoka dressed up for the event. She wore her favorite yellow-hood jacket and threw on a pair of shorts, knee-high socks and sneakers. Instead of her usual pig-tails, she wore her hair in a side ponytail. Her younger brothers that she was always taken care of was dropped off at a Day Care so she could spend some time with Sakuno. It had been a while since they talked and Tomoka missed it.

"Sakuno!" Tomoka shouted out towards the girl. She waved her hand in the air trying to get attention of her friend and gripped tightly onto the basket she held with her other, free hand. "Sakuno!" She said grinning and holding out the basket. "I brought food."

The went to a nearby tennis court where they could have played some games. Tomoka was against it at first, but Sakuno persuaded her which she usually in the past wouldn't have done. "Alright! Let's play Sakuno! But don't go easy on me just because I don't really play tennis."

The two girls went on opposite courts. "S-Smooth or Rough Tomo-chan?" Sakuno spoke in her soft voice. Tomoka just shook her head and insisted that because Sakuno had more experience, she should go first without question.

They got into position, walking towards the baseline. As Sakuno served the ball high in the air, Tomoka did a swift receive and the ball was wild. It hit back and forth, neither one wanting to back down without a fight. Their panting voices were the only thing heard with the rhythmic sound of the tennis ball. "15-Love!" A voice drew out dully. The two girls looked to see Ryoma standing there. "Chisu." He greeted.

Just like the old days, everything came back like a gush of water. The senpais who were in high school came waltzing through. They threw arms around the cocky third year and talked about loudly. Jokes thrown back and forth, with the talks of familiarity. A tennis racket dropped as the figured rushed to the group; Sakuno had left the tennis game and was now shy talking to Ryoma, hints of confidence found in her voice. Tomoka stared and turned, seeing the lifeless ball lay on her corner. Her hand felt stiff as she increased the grip on her own racket.

"Oh~ Ohayou!" A gentle voice spoke, a girl ran towards the group with a few others following. They wore tennis bags around their shoulders and by their height differences, it was easy to tell that they were all in different grades. The shorter girls, ones about the same height as Sakuno caught their full attention by speaking loudly above everyone else. "Attention!" They said smiling, "There's a tournament for the boy's tennis team right?" She asked, referring to both junior and senior high schoolers. "Me and Sakuno made these together with the help of our team and senpai!"

The girl took out a large white banner with sewed in letters. A course of voices broke out and the girl puffed her cheeks out. "I'm the current bucho of the team." She said in a sweet tone, "So i is my responsibility to do something like this."

"After we win, we can celebrate with sushi." Kawamura spoke shyly, the others nodded.

Sakuno widened her eyes as she turned around, "Ah, I almost forgot!" She shouted, Ryoma watching her intently. "Tomo-" She stopped mid-way in her sentence when she realized no pig-tailed girl was standing there. She was gone except for the basket that laid there.

"Minna, Yudan Sezu Ni Ikou." Tezuka spoke, his lips bonded tightly on his face.

Tomoka rushed home, not bothering to even say a goodbye. She was fuming; the people that surrounded everyone, it just wasn't the same anymore. She cared deeply of her friends but now she was out of the picture. She didn't even step one foot near them. The girl's tennis bucho seem rather close with everyone and she even made a banner. Something about that girl made her uneasy, but she didn't want to say.

"Tomoka." A stern voice spoke and the girl quickly looked up. Piercing black eyes stared at her and she straightened herself. "I wouldn't think you would be doing something so irrational. I know you're trying hard and everything. The plan is almost over so you don't need to do anything like this ever again." The man finished talking and urged the girl to walk inside the house, "We're having a conversation with a very special guest. So please."

Tomoka blinked, "Otousan." She spoke lightly before nodding. "Yes, I know all that already. It's...not a problem." She spoke gently. As the two walked into the living room, a figure was sitting on the couch. Tomoka stared into their indigo eyes and wore a light, genuine smile. Her eyes sparkled; She quickly ran from her father's side and ran to the boy with his hands wide open. "I missed you!" She spoke in a soft tone.

"Hm? I didn't know you preferred pig-tails." The boy spoke before letting out a light chuckle.

Tomoka puffed her cheeks out and grabbed her hair-bands, letting her hair down, "What if I do?" She inquired, "I moved out from both you and Gen, so I did change. It's been such a long time too..."

The boy stroked the girls hair and smiled, "Welcome back, Tomoka-chan."

"Thank you. I know I visited everyone just last week, but I miss you guys." A cough was voiced and Tomoka blushed red, "O-Otousan! Get out!"

* * *

The hoard of fan girls increased in number as Tomoka did nothing. Being a self proclaimed 'president' of the Echizen Ryoma fan club made other girl's blood boil. Instead, the captain of the girl's tennis team took that spot.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Tomoka asked in a cheerful tone as she walked into her own club room. The door closed tightly and a group of girls bowed.

"We're sorry, but we're kicking you out as president. Hanabi is much better." The group spoke.

Tomoka didn't know what was going on, instead a girl came in and smiled. "Good morning everyone. Ara, Tomoka." The girl smiled, her face was clearly been staged with some make up. "I hope you understand everything clearly. Sakuno is now part of my team in which I have taken care of her. She is; after all, my very first _best_ friend in the team. And since Sakuno is going to busy, this year and of course the next. As president, I will fully support her in a relationship with Echizen. Now, you won't have any of your fast passes, will you?" She inquired.

Everything Hanabi had spoken of was sickly sweet. It made Tomoka feel like she was going to puke, "Be quiet..." She spoke. She heard a question being raised in the air and glared at her, "SHUT UP." She seethed out, "I don't care what you do anymore." Tomoka slid open the door and threw it closed behind her. She stomped her foot out of the building and right under a tree. She slumped down and felt like crying.

"Osakada." A voice brought her back to reality and she saw Ryoma standing right in front of her. When he saw her tears, he didn't know what to do. He kept quiet and just stood there.

"Ryoma-sama!" She said, straining through her voice, "What are you doing here?!" She screeched.

The boy sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I just saw you here." He spoke in a blunt tone. Tomoka looked down and sighed.

"I'm not Ryoma-sama's number one fan." she spoke, "I'm not the president anymore."

Ryoma raised a brow, "Che...I don't hate you or anything." He said.

The girl wiped her tears away and her eyes widened. "R-Really?" She questioned. Ryoma stared at the girl who was glimmering in front of him. She didn't feel like the normal Tomoka, she was like another girl. She didn't shout loudly or screech in his ears in fan girl mode. Instead, it was almost like the first time that they actually had a normal conversation that wasn't something related to her being annoying or his unbelievable tennis skills. "I'm so relieved! Thank you, Echizen-san." She spoke gently and smiled.

"Ah there you are Echizen!" A loud voice shouted and came the running of Momo with the rest of the old regulars trailing behind. "Geeze, you always disappear to somewhere. Oh, Tomoka-chan! You're here with Echizen." He said grinning before studing the girl, "Your eyes are red." He said as if it was something strange.

"Idiot." Kaido spoke, "She was definitely crying before..." He stated and the other turned their heads towards the said girl.

Tomoka looked up at the other regulars and smiled brightly before Ryoma could say anything. "No, it's fine. Echizen-san did nothing." She spoke happily, grasping her hands together. She stood up, and continued to smile. "Bye Echizen-san! I don't mean to keep calling you Ryoma-sama for no reason." She spoke, "And it was nice seeing senpai-tachi too." She bowed and started to leave.

Eiji stooped the girland stood in front of her, "Nya! I thought Tomoka-chan liked Ochibi!"

"Sa.. What's with her calling Echizen 'Echizen-san now?" Fuji inquired as he glanced towards their very own data man. Inui pushed his glasses up and shook his head with the green notebook in his hands.

"Based on data on Osakada." Inui spoke in a slow tone, "Everything she is doing is out of character. There is no percentage that she would ever call Echizen that politely and not scream his name off her lungs. Instead of her usual boisterous personality, she changed dramatically for keeping a level head. Nothing like this can ever happen to a person in a such a way..." When Inui was finished, it just left everyone completely confused. Something was happening yet what was it?

* * *

They needed answers. Things to help understand why the girl changed so differently. The image of a pig-haired girl, loud, cheerful and someone who was like a superhero disappeared. That person seemed to never exist anymore. They all felt content with the girl's presence. Others may have thought of saying how troublesome she was for cheering on the tennis team and being so loud. But she was the only one who cared about the team so much and always tried to go to their tournaments. There was no fan club, no cheer squad. Yet she would always be the one who shouted the loudest. Her words, cheering them on spoke loud and clear through all the other voices of the crowd. She was different. They were too selfish. Thinking the girl would always be by their side. They didn't do anything wrong in their perspective as they barely even talked to the girl. They were all close in others views. But they barely knew about Tomoka who was always gone by after school, saying she needed to talk care of her two younger brothers at home. They only ever saw her at school and that was it.

They thought they could tlak to her again. But she never came back. She left school and when graduation came, it swept them off their feet. No one talked about Osakada Tomoka, and weren't even worried.

The Seigaku regulars thought of her more than some cheer girl. She was their friend, an important one at that.

* * *

**And that's it for chapter 1!**  
**It didn't come out the way I thought of it...but ****Thank you for reading and hope you guys support me to see where this story may lead to.  
Again, you have my thanks and utmost appreciation!**

**See you all in Chapter 2!  
~Yuka Hara**


	2. Chapter 2

**Big thanks for those reading and How you're interested in the story. Here's is chapter two!**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to their rightful owners! Only I own the plot and the Ocs. Thank you!**

* * *

Spring came soon,and the cherry blossoms came abloom. High school for the third year middle schoolers came rolling in naturally. The sun gazed down on the ground lovingly, watching the figures of people walking to and fro. Crowds of students wearing Seishun High uniforms stormed around huge bulletin. Names and classes were enlisted on them; from year first to third. People pushed around, trying to see their names, but slowly people started to separate, allowing those who didn't push and was neither aggressive to go forth to see their classes.

"We're in the same class!" A loud voice spoke and hugged a girl right next to her. One had her hair in a side pony-tail while the other had plaited braids. "Isn't that great Sakuno-chan? This is almost like destiny." The girl smiled out at her friend.

Sakuno only nodded, "That's right Hanabi-chan. I hope we have fun this year too." She spoke in a soft tone, "We're joining tennis again."

The two girls exchanged a small conversation and were being cautious before bumping into another girl they didn't see. It seemed like it was someone they never laid their eyes on, a normal teenage girl with brown eyes and hair that was neatly combed straightly past her shoulders and was adorned with a small maroon ribbon on the left side. "Sorry about that." Hanabi spoke, "Didn't see you."

The mysterious girl only tilted her head to the side and smiled brightly, "It's fine, I should've looked." Without another word, the girl walked in front of the bulletin and checked off her name. She waved her hand as a kind gesture towards Sakuno and Hanabi and then walked off.

The two girls shrugged their shoulders slightly and hurried themselves to their own class. Everything was normal and in place. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at all. That same day, Ryoma went and met up with his senpais at the tennis courts. He saw them talking with other people but when the saw him, all the attention averted to him instead. The cocky boy was a bit embarrassed by the intense looks and only pretended to care less about anything. Starting matches would be soon held to hold the regulars, but everyone already knew who they would be. It would be none other than the very team that won the first national tournament in middle school. All around, every middle school had their tennis team upgraded for their members were all returning. The very ones that were invited to the U-17 camp.

"Ne, have you heard of the first year beauty? I heard she was pretty known in middle school too."

Voices around spoke about a first year who was outrageously beautiful in their eyes. "H-Hanabi-chan is so cool!" A girl squealed as she leaned near the fence, watching the said girl playing tennis on the courts.

"Oh, there's tennis." A girl spoke. She smiled slightly and stretched her arm. She turned around, feeling satisfied by just watching and bumped into somebody. "Sorry." She spoke and when she looked up, she squinted her eyes at the person. "Ah, Kaidoh-senpai." She said, smiling brightly and bowing. "Nice to see you again, are you and Momo-senpai playing tennis with everyone else?" She questioned. Kaidoh looked at the girl, confusion written clearly around his face. The girl let out a small laugh before pointing at herself, "It's me. Tomoka. Osakada Tomoka." She said, the wind blowing her hair to the side.

"Hora! Mamushii!"

Momo came rushing to the confused boy's side almost instantly after his call and grinned from ear to ear. "What are you doing here? Chatting up with a first year now? It's only the beginning Mamushii!" He shouted. Slowly, he squinted his eyes down at the girl and looked at her closely. His eyes starting intensely at her face as if he would recognize her. "Gah! You look like someone!" He shouted in agony, "Have we met?"

"Of course we have, Momo-senpai." Tomoka spoke with a smile and when she only got silence returned she wore a small frown, "It's me, Osakada Tomoka. Your kouhai?" She questioned, raising a brow and crossing her arms on her chest. "Is something wrong?" She asked when she saw Momo's face turn sleek white. Suddenly, she felt a jolt on her arm and was dragged away by Momo, Kaidoh following slowly behind the two. She tried shaking the male's hand off her arm but she couldn't, his grip was too strong.

* * *

Momo came rushing to the tennis courts, panting as if he never ran so hard. He dragged behind him a girl who was out of breath as well. "Senpai...-tachi..." Momo breathed out, trying to grasp his words firmly. "T-This is.." He never got to finish talking since Eiji bounced his way towards the two.

"Nya! Momo, you don't look so well." The boy spoke with a cute grin, he was so cheerful around him and he made everyone just perk up. "Eh...I didn't know you already got a girlfriend Momo!" Eiji said in a surprised voice before smiling at Tomoka "I'm Kikumaru Eiji! Nice to meet you!" He said. When she never replied back to him, Eiji pouted, "Wah! Did I scare her?" He asked the regulars who were now around him.

"I'm sorry about Eiji..." Oishi spoke to Tomoka with a sympathetic expression.

Tomoka widened her eyes slightly in a state of shock, "No, it's fine." She spoke quietly under her breath. She questioned herself, wondering if they recognized her at all. She let out a sigh and the bell rang. It was her savior for letting her out of this mess, "It's seeing senpai-tachi again." She said bowing her head more towards Momo and Kaidoh and hurried off to go to her first class.

First class was homeroom so all the seats were scattered. When Tomoka reached her class, she realized she may have came in too late as most of the seats were filled by other students. She spotted a seat close to the door just as she walked in. She frowned a bit realizing that the first seat was taken by some boy, she shuffled her shoes and sat down in the desk behind him. She looked around, seeing some familiar faces but ignored her urge to go up to them and start a converstation. It was something truly odd to her; that a single change in appearance and a slight tweak in personality would change a person, allowing no one to know who they were.

The teacher came in and introduced herself to everyone as Kotobuki-sensei. The class started an introduction of each person and before she knew it, it was Tomoka's turn.

"Osakada, Tomoka. Nice to meet everyone." She spoke in a straightforward tone. She heard some whispering behind her and just smiled to those who knew her. Then as she sat down, she listened to the boy in front of her introduce themselves.

"I'm Horio, Satoshi! I would say I'm good in tennis a bit." Horio spoke rather in a loud tone though his voice was a bit deeper and wasn't as squeaky and annoying. Tomoka studied the guy closely and she furrowed her eyebrows. She knew the boy since her first year of middle school yet she realized he also changed drastically. His unibrown was gone and he looked a bit more structured. His brown hair was still short but seemed to gloss in the light. He even became more polite. "I have over five years of tennis!" He shouted proudly. Tomoka blinked, she took everything back, he didn't change, _much. _

As the boy sat down, the two stared at each other. "You're- Horio/Osakada?!" They spoke questioning each other.

"Alright, alright!" Kotobuki-sensei spoke, clapping her hands. She wore a calm smile, "You two can get aquainted later, class is starting now." She spoke before letting out a sigh, "I'll end class a few minutes early." She announced.

The class drawled on from homeroom to the other periods. Tomoka went to home economics with a small basket in hand. She was asked by the teacher to get some supplies for herself since she didn't have any. Tomoka came into the door quietly and sat in her own seat. Next to her was a student who was working on their own project. She laid the supplies on the small area of the table and spread out the frabic. She started stitching the figure, adding cotton in it and putting pins at the intersection so it wouldn't come out. The idea was simple. Make something handmade by yourself, if you didn't know how to make anything, try something simple. Tomoka looked at other students who didn't have an idea on whatever to do. She looked down at the pieces of fabric she cut and took them in her hands. She walked to another table and dumped it on their empty desk. "You can stitch these together, it'll form something but you can still get a grade for it." She spoke bluntly.

"Are you sure Osakada-san?" One girl spoke up, looking at her group members. Tomoka only gave a nod and went back to her seat. She looked up to see a girl staring at her but turned away instantly, the boy next to her was turning red and she furrowed her brows. What was just wrong with everyone?

"Done." Tomoka muttered to herself with a smile. It was a small dark purple teddy bear with a green headband. She then took a piece of brown fabric and did the same thing with it, making a tiny cap on the top of the head. As the bell rang for the end of class, the teacher hurriedly looked around at everyone's work. She complimented on Tomoka's work and the girl smiled. "Thank you, Sensei."

As Tomoka was the last person to come out of the class, she saw a girl standing to the side. It was the same girl that thanked her for the fabric in class. "Thank you Osakada-san. Really! I mean I never done anything with homemade things..." The girl said nervously. "Oh, that's right. I'm Shinoto Narumi. Nice to meet you." The girl wore think spectacles that covered the bottom of her eyes. Her hair was tied up in a short ponytail and her overall appearance was very sharp.

The two girls had a small conversation and realized most of their classes were the same. They both walked towards the girl's locker room to get changed for P.E. "There's spare lockers here." Tomoka said, urging Narumi to follow her to the middle of the room. The locks were both on the locker still and they went to get their combination. When they changed, there was whispering around them. Narumi looked up from the ground and sent a glare. "Shinoto-san?" Tomoka questioned.

Narumi walked up right towards a girl and stomped her foot in front of her, "Do you want something from me? I can hear you know. It doesn't matter if someone is completely **flat.** Are you sure yourself isn't fake? A pad fell." She spoke in a threatening tone and walked next to Tomoka. "Osakada-san, we should hurry to class." She spoke with a careless smile.

The students sat on the floor in the gymnasium. Usually, most schools had all the years separated completely, but Physical Education was a bit different. The classes were rather mixed by years. Because there was sports club that aimed for big tournaments and such, their practices were important. That was why most of the sports club members had P.E during the middle of the day. If they had it right after morning practice they would have been too tired.

Tomoka sat next to Narumi who only seemed like a sweet girl. "Sorry about before." Narumi spoke, "I sometime just act like that." Tomoka looked at her and shook her head, she didn't mind the girl having a second personality. "Did you go to Seigaku Middle?" She questioned the girl with the beauty mark. Tomoka looked down on the ground and to the side, averting the gaze of Narumi. She nodded a little and then the girl grabbed her hands. "Really? Then you're **thee **Osakada Tomoka?"

"I don't think there's anyone with the same name as me." Tomoka said with a grim smile. Narumi looked taken aback by the brunett's reaction and decided to drop the topic. If she wanted to say something, she would probably say it in the future.

"Well, either way, I know that Osakada-san is nice." Narumi said and she took out her hand. "We're friends now, are we, Tomoka-chan?"

"Of course we are Narumi-chan." Tomoka spoke with a smile.

The two laughed to themselves, but stopped when they heard cheering. Tomoka's eyes widened in relization, why haven't she realized anything sooner? On one side of the court was Horio whose team and opponent was all of the regulars. They played volleyball in an extreme pace but you could see that they weren't used to playing it. "It's the regulars!" Narumi spoke in shock, "They're all here!" Then her eyes averted to the side, "Isn't that Ryuzaki Sakuno and the girl's tennis team captain... Hanabi?" She questioned.

Tomoka turned to see two girls sitting in the corner and giggling to a group of girls. They chatted happily and you could see that on the corner was tennis bags with Seigaku written on it. Names of the girls were embedded onto the bag, showing that those were the regulars for the girls tennis team. _The same two girls from this morning... _Tomoka thought to herself bitterly. She watched her old friend laugh happily. Looking at the side, she glanced at Narumi who was just quietly watching the regulars playing volleyball. "Aren't you going to cheer for them like the others?" She questioned.

Narumi gave her a strange expression and laughed, "No, they never paid attention to me, they don't even know who I am. I rather not be involved with them." She say glancing to the side before pointing at a hoard of girls that formed a wall around the court. "You see them? They're the new fan girl club. One that is more larger and extravagant than the one in middle school. Ever since Hanabi became the president, she recruited all these students. There are even a girls tennis team club. There isn't a president for that one though." She explained. "You were the president before right...?"

"Yeah I was. I just wasn't suited for that position." Tomoka said.

Narumi stood up, "That's wrong. I watched you cheer the team on for one of the games and I believe that you were the best one cheer squad I know."

Tomoka smiled, "Thank you Narumi-chan. Here." Tomoka took out a small pink teddy bear with a small bow on it's head. "It's nothing much, but I made it as an extra during class. So you can have it." She said.

Narumi took the small plushie in her hands and started to tear up, "Tomoka-chan!" She cried, "Thank you!"

Tomoka laughed at the girl, saying it was nothing and that they were friends. The two were being so loud, they didn't even know it themselves.

"Tomoka-chan...thank you for being my friend. I was afraid I wouldn't get to know anyone this year. You're really kind, I regret not talking to you in the past." Narumi spoke up, fiddling with the doll.

* * *

"Is that Osakada-chan?" Eiji asked as he squinted his eyes through the crowd, spotting a girl sitting against the wall and talking to another girl. "Nya! I bet it is!" Eiji shouted in shock. "Oishi! Look, it's Osakada-chan! She's back and she even left before without saying goodbye." The boy said in a pout.

Oishi shook his head, "We never heard a word about her, not even from Ryuzaki-chan." Oishi spoke in slight worry, "It's probably not her." He spoke.

Momo and Kaidoh started to cough rather loudly to get the attention of everyone else. "Is something wrong with your throats?" Kawamura questioned.

"No...it's...well..." Momo tried to get the words right as he scratched the back of his head. He just didn't know how he would explain to his senpai that he already met Tomoka that morning and the girl agianst the wall was indeed her.

"Senpai-tachi." Kaidoh said, "That is Osakada." He spoke roughly, "Me and Peach head just met her this morning and she was dragged with us to the courts too."

"EH!?" Eiji shouted, "Why didn't you tell us something so important Momo! We don't always get to see her before and now she's right there!"

"Echizen? Fuji?" Inui called out to two of the regulars who were now gone from the court. He looked just in time to see them walking towards Tomoka.

Fuji and Ryoma walked slowly towards the girl, hearing her voice loud and clear talking to another person next to her.

"Why do you have these two bears?" Narumi questioned her as she held the indigo and brown bear in her hands. "It's so cute too! There's tennis wrist bands for them and this one have a green headband while the other one have a military cap! It's amazing!"

Tomoka giggled, "It resembles my very important friends." She said, her cheeks covered in pink. Her eyes sparkled with just the thought and Narumi smiled.

"I see."

Fuji stopped mid-way before gripping on Ryoma's shoulder. "We shouldn't bother Osakada-chan. She's different, she changed." He spoke. "If she wanted to see us, she would've come to greet us. We should stop for now."

As Fuji left thinking, Ryoma stood there clutching his hands. The girl sure was annoying but he didn't hate it. She was someone who was there for everyone, himself included. Every game she would come, no matter how many times she said she was busy. He turned around and walked back without another word. If Fuji was right, he hoped that the girl would come greet them.

After classes ended for the day, Tomoka said goodbye to Narumi and decided to walk home. It was pretty lonesome as she walked but when she was just exiting the hallway, she bumped into Horio. "Horio?" She questioned.

"Osakada!" Horio shouted, "What is wrong with you!?" He said, shaking her shoulders. The girl didn't answer and he sighed, "Well it doesn't matter! I have my own fan club now! I mean I may become a regular next year! Plus that Hanabi-chan is sure cute!" He spoke blushing before looking at a stoic Tomoka.

"Shut up." She spoke clutching her fists. Horio decided to keep on rambling just to get on the girls nerves. "Horio! Be quiet!" She said shaking the boys shoulders. "You never change. Always the loud one!" She shouted.

"You're loud two Osakada! You disappeared last year without a trace! Ryuzaki was always wondering where you had went!" He shouted.

Tomoka kept quiet for a second and glared at Horio. "You don't know anything! You're just one of those stupid fan boys of that girl!" She clenched her hands to her side and huffed, she walked off trying to ignore the pained feeling in her chest. She thought Horio would just go and call her stupid and all the names from middle school but he didn't. He chased after her and shouted her name.

"What's that suppose to mean Osakada! I have five years of experience in tennis! I need someone who can match up to that skill." He spoke haughtily. Tomoka blinked at him and the two suddenly broke into laughter.

"You're such a baka..." Tomoka spoke through her laughter. They smiled and walked out the hallway, talking like the old days. "Really? I missed quite a lot." She learned that many people thought of Ryoma and Sakuno as a 'pair' but they never said anything to each other like that. There were clubs arising and the tennis circuit grew larger.

When they went out the building, Tomoka said bye and wandered off by herself to her house. She stared at the sky and sighed. Things sure changed. Before, she had rather become friends with Hanabi then talk to Horio as if they were close friends, but now she didn't think like that anymore. She thought that he really was her friend, after all, they did have most of the same classes. Tomoka started to lightly slap her cheeks as it was some sort of motivation for her. "Alright. Tomorrow is another day, anything can happen."

"Saa...Osakada-chan?" A soft voice spoke.

"F-Fuji-senpai?" Tomoka said out as her eyes widened to see the male standing behind her. She was surprised he was out here this late and more shocked that he had recognized her. She was sure that when she entered high school that no one seemed to actually know it was _her._ But she did remember telling Momo and Kaidoh her name during the day. She wondered if they spilled the beans and if they did, she didn't mind. "What are you doing out this late?" She asked with a smile.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! **  
**Hope you enjoy it! I know Tomoka is OOC but I just want her to have a more meaning to her character.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Tomoka-fans, thank you for reading! Some of these ideas are pretty straight forward, but I'll try to change it up. This story is mostly about friendship and Tomoka's own personality. I don't know about her being paired up with someone just yet.  
It's probably going to be a short story, I don't have anything really planned yet.  
**

**I know I haven't updated anything in like a months, but I'll try to get to it as soon as I can :)  
~Yuka Hara**

* * *

Tomoka walked on the left of Fuji as he had _insisted _before that he wanted to be allowed to walk her home on such a dangerous night. She in fact, was grateful for his own concern, but she felt like she walked into a trap. He had not said a word since she had accepted his offer, and that didn't change for the rest of the time. With gentle steps, she made sure she walked around or over things that was laid on the ground.

"Osakada-chan?" Fuji asked calmly. His voice was cautious, as if he was pondering on every word before he spoke them. Tomoka looked at him, and stared at him slightly. For a second, she scanned her senpai from head to toe. He was indeed taller, but he didn't change that much. His hair was still long and his skin was still fair for someone who played sports under the sun, she was surprised he wasn't as tan as others. He became leaner and wore his uniform so neat, there wasn't even one small crease on it. His old smile never change and still was worn on his face. "What's wrong?" He questioned as his eyebrows furrowed.

She realized her mistake for staring and quickly shook her head. "It's nothing, nothing at all." She spoke laughing slightly at the end. "Huh? What's that in your hands, Fuji-senpai?" She asked lightly as she saw a flash of colors in the older boy's hand. Fuji took out two small bears, the exact ones that she had made in home economics.

"Saa...these are sure interesting. You never told anyone you were into crafting." He spoke smiling, as he carefully examined the small hat on one, his eyes widened and he looked at the girl. "Don't these-"

Tomoka quickly grabbed the bears away from his hands and stuffed them inside her bag. "Sorry Fuji-senpai, but I made these as gifts. I d-don't want them to be ruined." She managed to seethe through her teeth. She let out a mental relief as she quickly made an escape. She knew he was on to her, and she didn't want him to go even speak it out loud or she cold have reacted the way he wanted her too; shocked. She smiled slightly and moved her arms, "Come on Fuji-senpai! It's getting dark and we should get home." She spoke.

Fuji was fixated at her bag, but she couldn't really tell much as his eyes were closed. With nothing else to say, the two walked home and she thanked him. Tomoka slumped on the coach as soon as she got into her living room. 'What a hectic day' she thought to herself. She took out the two bears and smiled, "You guys...Ah. Fuji-senpai seemed as if he was interested in these." She scrunched up her face and thought for a second then stared back at the dolls. "It wouldn't be a trouble..."

Tomoka shook her head before hurrying up to her room. She needed to get everything out and prepared. She would start after dinner.

When dinner came around the corner, Tomoka sat with her family that included her dad, mom and two younger brothers who were eating quietly.

"My, it's such a quiet night." Osakada Suzu spoke out, trying to make some type of conversation. Even if her younger brothers were in their second year of middle school, they were daredevils. Because they always liked to make pranks, they always had to have someone watch them.

Tomoka laughed softly to herself before shaking her head and going back to her dinner. She pushed her vegetables along the the corners and swirled her chopsticks in her bowl. "Ara, Ara, Tomoka-chan." Her mother called out to her, "Are you feeling well?" Tomoka only gave a nod to answer her mom. To be truthful, she usually finished everything on her plate. This was no joke. Ever since she was little, she had been tricked by her two friends. One gave her the idea that if she didn't finish her food, a monster will come to eat her up because she wasted food. She didn't know why she was scared from that type of lie, but she was only a little girl back then and she believed in almost everything people around her said. The other one was actually brought up in quite a strict home and always told her say stay honest.

Tomoka let out a sigh and told her parents that she would be up in her room. "Thank you for the meal." She smiled and quickly rushed up the stairs. She shut door behind her a slumped towards the ground. Many thoughts rushed through her head. She was happy that Fuji had came and talked to her. After a year or so of not talking to any of her old friends, she was sure that they had all forgotten her, but they didn't. On the other hand, she wasn't ready to meet them all again. She wouldn't know what to say to Sakuno anymore. Would she be mad at her for breaking their friendship? Would she be crying her eyes out for missing her? She didn't want to deal with this right now.

"I have Narumi-chan now.." She muttered to herself, "I-I changed! That's right!" She said, trying to cheer herself up with some positive motivation. She bit her lips and thought about her plan before. "I better get started." She took a seat on her chair and turned the lamp on, taking out a scissor, she started to cut the soft brown fabric. She added the necessary accessories such as the school's name, their tiny strings on their rackets and the color of white and blue. "Perfect..." She muttered under her breath and placed them in decorated plastic baggies. She placed them all in a basket near her desk and left them there. "I wish I could say go back in time, if I could change it I would give these to them right now. "I'm so tired..."

Tomoka jumped into her bed and went to sleep, ignoring the knocking on the door.

* * *

Tomoka woke up, feeling terrible. Her hair was all tied into knots and she could feel her eyes dropping. Suddenly, she sniffed the air and wore a confused expression, the smell of something burnt. Her eyes widened as soon as the thought entered her mind and she rushed down towards the kitchen.

"Ow, Ow ow!" A voice shouted in a childish tone, "Mou...Utou! You added too much of this oil! Mom only puts a spoonful! Now it's attacking us."

"Be quiet Sora! Do you want to wake up Tomo-nee because we made a mistake for breakfast?!" Utou shouted, completely unaware of the older girl standing behind them. "What's wrong Sora?" He asked at his brother before turning around, "T-TOMO-NEE!?"

Tomoka sat in the table with her two younger siblings, she gave each of them a stern look and crossed her arms. After cleaning the large mess in the kitchen, she was glad that all the smoke was gone with the use of the fume hood and that it didn't turn the sprinklers on or even catch the whole house on fire. "Explain yourselves." Tomoka said, "You know how dangerous it is to cook with a watchful eye around. You two haven't even learned how to cook yet." The two boys pouted and looked down. They looked at each other, mentally talking. "Just because you two are twins, you guys can't really use telepathy..." Tomoka said and watched the two blush in embarrassment. She sighed and knelt down in front of them, she gave the two each a pat and smiled. "Tomo-nee isn't mad at you two alright? Just be careful. I'll fix breakfast for you two."

She was glad that her two younger siblings cared for her and wanted to make some breakfast for her even though it came out disastrous. In fact, Tomoka was surprised that they woke up so early. Usually, they would still have been fast asleep. She looked at the note on the fridge that said that her parents had to leave for work early and she was suppose to take them to school. She turned back to see the two twins talking happily to each other. "Ne, ne! Tomo-nee!" Sora said in a cheerful tone as he bounced towards the girl, "Can we help you?"

Tomoka eyed them for a second before nodding. "Sure, just always listen to my directions alright?" The two children looked at each other and nodded to her.

"Hai Tomo-nee!" The chorused together and stood on wooden stools to watch her crack the eggs into the pan. The twins gathered the plates and table ware to set it up while she cooked the meal.

Tomoka quickly whipped up bacon, three sunny side eggs, toast and some sausages. She took out three cups and filled them up with milk and handed it to them. They sat together at the table and started to eat. "Itakdakimasu." While eating, Tomoka allowed her mind to wander, she would occasionally steal a glance at her younger brothers and her heart would be filled with complete warmth from seeing their smiles. "I'm so happy that you two like the food." She said cheerfully.

They all stood up in a rush and Tomoka scrubbed furiously at the plates. "I know it's almost time to go, so let's hurry alright?" As the three stood by the door, wearing their shoes, Tomoka giggled to herself as she watched Utou and Sora fumble with their shoe laces, she couldn't see their smirk that was hidden, "You guys still don't know how to tie your shoe laces?" She asked in confusion, "I was sure I saw you the other day tying it with no trouble."

She laughed at the actions Utou and Sora showed as they tried to keep a straight face. "It's fine, I'll be happy to tie your shoe laces for you." She said.

Tomoka walked to Seigaku High using a separate path from her brothers and wondered to herself if she spoiled them too much. Truth to be told, her younger brothers should already know how to tie their shoe laces. She was sure that she just saw them tie their laces all on their own the other day. She shook her head as she felt her head throb from thinking too much. She smiled when she had a small stuffed animal dangling on her school bag. She was always jealous of other girls, since middle school, when they designed their bags with cute chains and stickers. She never got the time to do so, and now that it was highschool, she was glad she found some time to do it.

"Good Morning, Narumi-chan." Tomoka said with a bright smile as she saw her friend by the shoe lockers.

Narumi glanced up and grinned, her hair was just everywhere, and her glasses were off and in place was warm brown eyes. "Morning, Tomoka-chan." She greeted, "Surprised?" She asked pointing to her face, "I always thought high school was scary." She said with a sigh and continued to switch her shoes, "I wore those glasses thinking it would make me smart. I just never fit in with the crowd of girls even in Middle school. But then I met you Tomoka-chan, I was really glad we became friends."

There was a sniffling sound and Narumi stopped from her long talk, and her eyes widened when she saw Tomoka's eyes filled with tears. "Uh..." Tomoka moaned as she took out her handkerchief to wipe her tears, "Sorry Narumi-chan. I- I'm just crying out of happiness."

Narumi smiled and giggled a little, "I never knew you could be this emotional." She said, "It's not a bad thing though. I would cry bucket of tears over sad romance dramas." She gave a lop sided smile and watched and Tomoka laughed along.

"We have to head to class. I'll see you at lunch Narumi-chan! I'll go visit your class, 1-A was it?" Tomoka questioned as the two girls started to walk to their homerooms. Narumi gave a quick nod before disappearing into her room.

Tomoka opened the door to her class, 1-C and was surprised to see most of the students still standing around. She took her seat and scanned the room for an annoying boy with uni brows, but then she realized that his appearance changed. She frowned slightly when she couldn't find him, since he was probably the only person in the room whom she could start a proper conversation with. Her reputation wasn't a real good one. She 'magically' left during the school year of her third year in Seigaku Middle, and no one knew why. She remembered the angry voice of Horio's when he was shouting at her about her disappearance/ He had said to her how hurt Sakuno was. Yes Tomoka was frustrated at herself for hurting her friend, but she was also hurting badly. She saw how Sakuno had spent with theh girl Hanabi, they were both tennis regulars. There was barely anything Tomoka could say to Sakuno except a 'Good Morning' or 'How are you'.

Tomoka sighed and when she closed her eyes to relax for a minute or two, she was screamed when she opened her eyes to see brown eyes staring back at her intently. She glared at the boy and slamed her fist down on his head. "What the heck are you doing Horio!?"

"Mou! You didn't have to hit so hard Osakada!" Horio whined as he rubbed his tender head, "You just looked like you were asleep so I thought to give you a fright."

Tomoka's eyes twitched at his insensitivity. "I need my personal space, everyone does!" She said and then they started to bicker, ignoring the sighs of the students around them.

Then the sensei came into class to see two of their students causing ruckus in class. 'Osakada, Horio!" The two barely gave a glance to the teacher before turning back into their heated argument, the sensei slammed on their desk, "Both of you, sit down!"

* * *

Tomoka sighed in relief when class finally ended and it was time for lunch. She picked her bento from her desk and started to walk to class 1-A. The classes assigned were usually by grades and people in class A were usually pretty smart. Sliding the door with her free hand, she spotted Narumi sitting in the corner of the room. "Narumi-chan." Tomoka greeted as she walked up to her friend. She grabbed a chair from the back of the room and dragged it next to her friend's desk. "Next time, let's go to my class or the roof top."

Narumi smiled, "Alright, I don't mind. Class isn't really crowded since everyone else goes to the cafeteria."

The two girls opened their bentos and Tomoka's stomach grumbled at the sight of the food. She had a few onigiris, some octopus sausages, boiled eggs and vegetables, hamburger and tamagoyaki. "Narumi-chan, your bento is so kawaii." She said as she looked at the pikachu face on Narumi's bento, "Did you make them on your own?"

Narumi shook her head as her face flushed in embarassment. "Iya, my mom did. She was so excited when I talked about having to meet you."

Tomoka stared blankly at the girl before breaking into a grin. "Thanks Narumi-chan. Let's eat!" Tomoka clasped her hands together, "Itadakimasu~"

"Itdakimasu." Narumi whispered and took out her chop sticks. "What should we talk about?" She asked after swallowing her food. "A-Ano...Tomoka-chan, you should really slow down your eating. You might choke."

Narumi was concerened about her friend's rush in eating. Tomoka, feeling like she was just jinxed, swallowed a grain of rice through the wrong pipe. You started to cough and grabbed hold of her water bottle. "GAH! I thought I was dying." She smiled and closed her bento box while Narumi raised a brow in concern.

"You're not going to finish your food?"

"What are you talking about?" Tomoka asked in confusion.

"But- you just closed your bento."

"Yeah, I did."

"Doesn't that mean you're down."

Tomoka stared at the girl for a few seconds before laughing, "I already finished. I guess I ate too fast." She scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, but Narumi just went on about how amazing it was to eat so fast. 'An Awesome Talent' she said.

The door was suddenly opened with a loud slam and Tomoka felt a deja vu. "Echizen!" A loud voice shouted. "Echizen!"

"Shut up Momo-senpai! Echizen isn't even in class right now!" Boy A shouted.

"WAH! It's Momo-senpai! I love how he wants us to call him by such a cute name!" Girl A screeched before fainting in her friends arm.

Tomoka sweat dropped at the scene of the swooned girl. She felt something strike her in realization that perhaps back in middle school, that was how _she _acted like in front like others. A crazy student who _was _the president of the Echizen Ryoma fan club. She never felt so stupid in her whole life. If it wasn't for Narumi's warning of her face burning up like fireworks, she would of sworn she would faint that minute.

"Momo~" A voice spoke. Red hair could be seen from the older third year student, Kikumura Eiji as he skipped (or literally hopped) towards Momo,his kouhai, with a wide grin. "Have you found Echizen yet? Mou~ Ochibi really doesn't want to hang out with us? It's the last year for us!" He whined like a child, but it wasn't annoying to anyone years. It was strangely pleasant as it held a playful tone in it.

Tomoka could feel her lips tug upwards on her face. She was smiling and radiating positive vibes like a turned on lamp. Then her eyes caught those of Eiji. For some reason, her stomach did a 180 degree flip. Something just wasn't right, she could _feel _it. She knew instantly how right her gut feeling was when she saw Eiji grin from ear to ear and point out her figure to Momo who smiled along with his senpai. She could see their eyes twinkle with mischief.

"Hoi, Hoi!" Eiji shouted, "You're coming along with us!"

With another word, Tomoka's world seem to spin a little as she was hauled up from her seat by two strong arms. She stood on her feet, and was face to face to Momo. "Let's go Osakada-chan. Maybe we'll find Echizen with your luck." He said before turning to Narumi, "We'll be borrowing her for today!" He then bowed before running off, and dragging the girl behind him like a sack of potatoes.

The students were struck silent and they could hear shouting just outside.

"Stop it Momo!" Eiji's voice bounced through the hallway, "You can't drag Osakada-chan, what do you think Oishi or Tezuka would say if they were here?" His voice held authority, finally showing his reign over his kouhai as the older one. "W-Wait Momo!"

"Jya, Eiji-senpai! I'll see you later at the roof when Echizen's found!" Loud footsteps were hear outside, like they were chasing each other.

Finally after how it piped Narumi's interest, she looked outside to see Tomoka all alone, and standing in the middle of the hallway. "Good luck, Tomoka-chan." She called out to the brunette before going back in the classroom to finish her food.

* * *

**PHEW! I finally managed to finish the third chapter.**

**I'm so sorry ! I write so slow, I shouldn't even be called an author for making my readers wait so long! T.T  
...- Well, whatever. Let's move on to Chapter 4!  
Thanks for reading everyone!**

**~Yuka Hara**


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